Sustaining Annual Membership
Sustaining annual membership - Prairie du Chien Historical Society
The War of 1812 in Wisconsin: The Battle for Prairie du Chien
The War of 1812 in Wisconsin: The Battle for Prairie du Chien
By Mary Elise Antoine
Wisconsin Historical Society Press, 2016
In The War of 1812 in Wisconsin, author Mary Elise Antoine brings a little-known corner of Wisconsin’s history to life. Prairie du Chien, located just above the mouth of the Wisconsin River, was the key to trade on the upper Mississippi. Whoever controlled the prairie commanded the immense territory inhabited by thousands of American Indians—and the fur they traded. When war broke out between the United States and Great Britain in 1812, British and Americans fought to maintain the ever shifting alliance of the tribes.
This is the story of the battle for the control of Prairie du Chien and the western country, which began many years before the three-day siege in July of 1814 for which the Battle of Prairie du Chien is named. It is also the tale of the people, Euro-American and Native, who lived in pre-territorial Wisconsin and how the contest for control of the region affected their lives and livelihoods. The outcome of the War of 1812 would determine what Manifest Destiny would mean to all who called these lands home.
Physical Description:
Hardcover
240 pages39 B&W illustrations
ISBN:9780870207389
Frenchtown Chronicles of Prairie du Chien: History and Folklore from Wisconsin's Frontier
by Mary Elise Antoine (Editor) and Lucy Eldersveld Murphy(Editor)
Albert Coryer, the grandson of a fur trade voyageur-turned-farmer, had a gift for storytelling. Born in 1877, he grew up in Prairie du Chien hearing tales of days gone by from his parents, grandparents, and neighbors who lived in the Frenchtown area. Throughout his life, Albert soaked up the local oral traditions, including narratives about early residents, local landmarks, interesting and funny events, ethnic customs, myths, and folklore.
Late in life, this lively man who had worked as a farm laborer and janitor drew a detailed illustrated map of the Prairie du Chien area and began to write his stories out longhand, in addition to sharing them in an interview with a local historian and folklore scholar. The map, stories, and interview transcript provide a colorful account of Prairie du Chien in the late nineteenth century, when it was undergoing significant demographic, social, and economic change. With sharp historical context provided by editors Lucy Eldersveld Murphy and Mary Elise Antoine, Coryer’s tales offer an unparalleled window into the ethnic community comprised of the old fur trade families, Native Americans, French Canadian farmers, and their descendants.
Prairie du Chien: French, British, American
by Dr. Peter L. Scanlan
The story of Prairie du Chien is the history of the Mississippi Frontier in the late 18th and 19th centuries. Dr. Peter L. Scanlan conducted research on the community and the nationally-important events which occurred at Prairie du Chien. He combed archives, finding rich information buried in the dust of time. These myriad facts he combined into a engaging history. Though written in 1937, Prairie du Chien: French, British, American still stands as the most definitive work on Wisconsin's second oldest community.
- Softcover: 258 pages
- Publisher: Banta Publishing, 1937; Prairie du Chien Historical Society, 1998 (3rd reprint)
- Language: English
- 7 pages of illustrations
- 30 pages Notes & References
- ISBN 09668004-0-0
Fort Crawford at Prairie du Chien, 1816-1856
by Mary Elise Antoine
Prairie du Chien was the first settlement on the upper Mississippi River. Aware that the United States needed to control this location, Congress authorized the construction of a post at Prairie du Chien and named it Fort Crawford. This book is an easily readable history of the first Fort Crawford and the second Fort Crawford built in 1829 and the important events that occurred at both posts. These include the building of an earlier fort during the War of 1812, the Great Council and Treaty of 1825, the Winnebago War of 1827, the 1829 and 1830 treaties, the Black Hawk War, the Winnebago School on the Yellow River, construction of the Military Road, William Beaumont and other post surgeons, the Civil War, post cemeteries, and the sites of both forts as they are today. 75 pages, 77 color and black and white illustrations.
Prairie du Chien: Images of America
by Mary Elise Antoine
Just above the confluence of the Wisconsin and Mississippi Rivers lies a 9-mile prairie whose beauty and location have long drawn people to its expanse. At this traditional gathering place of Native Americans, French explorers and fur traders stored trade goods and celebrated on the prairie, in time building homes at la Prairie des Chiens. American soldiers constructed a fort here, at the entrance to the upper Mississippi Valley, to secure the region for settlement. Wave upon wave of people arrived in Prairie du Chien by steamboat and railroad, and by 1900, a bustling city had spread across the plain. But the French heritage and majestic beauty of the river endured. After World War I, tourists came to drift along the banks of the Mississippi, climb the steep bluffs surrounding the prairie, and sample the Friday night fish fries. Wisconsin's second-oldest community, Prairie du Chien retains the attraction that drew the first explorers to its shores.
Legendary Locals of Prairie du Chien
by Mary Elise Antoine
From the day Jacques Marquette and Louis Joliet enter the Mississippi River in 1673, fur traders and then settlers were drawn to Prairie du Chien. Red Bird and Black Hawk opposed American expansionism, while Zachary Taylor enforced the change. John Muir admired the majesty of the Mississippi River; John Lawler accepted the challenge to bridge the waters. As people came to Prairie du Chien, generations worked forming a small, cohesive community. Some like George and Dorothy Jeffers, Ralph and Albina Kozelka, Henry Howe, and Frank Stark began businesses that descendants continue to operate. John Peacock and Mike Valley found a livelihood from the river. Art Frydenlund, Jim Bittner, and Fred LaPointe promoted and encouraged all to come. B. A. Kennedy and Jack Mulrooney created an outstanding educational and sports program. Peter Scanlan and Cal Peters recorded the rich history. Roy and Geraldine George established a foundation, and Morris MacFarlane led a movement to create scholarships. Lori Knapp helped disabled people without realizing her impact. Patrick Lucey and Elaine Kramer gained national recognition. All these people and others like Dr. T. F. Farrell and Robert Garrity were neighbors. Their stories fill these pages.